December 22, 2025
News | SUNTV Global Channel
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive ordering the withdrawal of police officers from non-essential VIP protection duties has failed in implementation, as affected officers allegedly returned to duty through disguises, bribery, and informal arrangements, SUNTV Global Channel can exclusively report.
Multiple senior security sources confirmed that while compliance was recorded officially, the directive has been widely undermined across several states, with police personnel continuing to provide armed protection for politicians, business elites, and other high-profile individuals under covert arrangements.
Officers Disguise As Vigilantes, NSCDC Personnel
Findings by SUNTV Global Channel reveal that police officers withdrawn from VIP duties now wear uniforms of vigilante groups and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to evade detection while continuing their assignments.
“Police officers are disguising themselves as vigilantes and NSCDC personnel to bypass the withdrawal order,” a police source disclosed.
Sources said officers were initially ordered to return to their commands and surrender their service rifles in line with the directive. However, the same weapons were allegedly reissued after payments reportedly reaching ₦500,000 per officer.
“Each officer returned their rifle as directed, only to collect the same weapon again after paying ₦500,000. After that, they resumed duty as usual,” another source said.
VIP Guards Now Operating As ‘Private Drivers’
Investigations further revealed that several officers have adopted alternative disguises, including wearing corporate suits and operating as private drivers for VIPs, while still providing armed protection discreetly.
“Some police guards now wear suits and act as private drivers for VIPs. Most officers have already returned to work despite the directive,” a source told SUNTV Global Channel.
Monitoring Team ‘Symbolic’, Arrests For Optics
Although the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, reportedly constituted a monitoring team to enforce compliance nationwide, insiders described the exercise as largely symbolic.
“A few officers were arrested for optics, but they were released almost immediately,” one source said.
According to multiple accounts, the withdrawal exercise has neither reduced the number of officers attached to private individuals nor improved police presence in crime-prone communities.
Instead, sources alleged that the process has become a revenue channel benefiting senior officers within the system.
“This withdrawal has changed nothing on the ground. It has only enriched senior officers while the practice it was meant to end continues unchecked,” another source alleged.
Background: Tinubu’s Presidential Directive
On November 23, 2025, President Tinubu directed the Inspector-General of Police to withdraw officers attached to non-essential VIP protection and redeploy them to core policing duties.
The order followed rising insecurity nationwide, including mass kidnappings in parts of Kebbi and Niger states, and growing public concern that thousands of police personnel were tied to private protection while communities remained exposed.
The President further directed that VIPs requiring protection should seek security support from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers to strengthen the force.
Elite Pushback And Familiar Resistance
While many Nigerians welcomed the directive as a long-overdue reform, resistance quickly emerged from sections of the political elite.
Several senators raised concerns that the withdrawal of police escorts could expose them to danger while visiting their constituencies amid worsening insecurity. Senate President Godswill Akpabio echoed these concerns during President Tinubu’s presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
Security analysts note that similar directives issued by previous administrations failed due to weak enforcement, internal resistance, and lack of sustained political will.
A Reform Undermined
Findings by SUNTV Global Channel indicate that despite its bold intentions, the VIP police withdrawal directive has been largely defeated at the operational level, raising serious questions about discipline, accountability, and the capacity of the system to reform itself.
For millions of Nigerians grappling daily with insecurity, the continued diversion of police manpower to private protection remains a troubling and unresolved challenge.
